folkie: (Default)
folkmore mod ([personal profile] folkie) wrote in [community profile] folkmeme2024-02-12 11:55 pm
Entry tags:

February-March 2024 Test Drive Meme

February-March 2024 TDM
Introduction

[ TDM QuestionsJump to CommentsFull Navigation ]

This Test Drive meme is open to all.

Welcome to Folkmore's monthly Test Drive Meme! Please feel free to test drive any and all characters regardless of your intent to apply or whether you have an invite or not.

All TDMs are game canon and work like "mini-events". For new players and characters, you can choose to have your TDM thread be your introduction thread upon acceptance or start fresh. Current players are also allowed to have in-game characters post to the TDM so long as they mark their top levels ‘Current Character.’

TDM threads can be used for spoon spending at any time by characters accepted into the game.

Playing and interacting with the TDMs will allow characters to immediately obtain canon items from homes especially weapons or other things they may have had on their person when they were pulled from their worlds! There will always be a prompt that provides some sort of "reward" to characters who complete certain tasks.

Current players are always encouraged to tag new people on the TDM!



🦊 New Star Children meet the Fox still in their worlds, and she brings them into the new realm of Folkmore. As you follow her, your body begins to change and new characteristics emerge. These may stay for a while, or perhaps they will hide away after. And during all of this, the Fox explains to you where you will be going: to Folkmore.

and then... you fall like a shooting star, falling to the land in a burst of starlight.


🦊 Experienced Star Children are already familiar with this time of the month. There are shooting stars all across the sky, and some fall to the land, which means the Fox has brought new arrivals. These newly arrived Star Children will face some tests, but Thirteen wants the more seasoned residents to participate as well.

Perhaps you follow the falling stars on your own, or perhaps the Fox simply teleports you there, but it appears you too will be part of this.

[ Soon You'll Get BetterNetfox & Chill]

Soon You'll Get Better .
Content Warnings: Power Nullification, Potential Kidnapping, Potential Animal Spirit Harm

The island of Never Fade can no longer be seen in the sky from elsewhere in Folkmore, enclosed within a large purple tinted cloud. Within that cloud, the island is under water—a dreamy purple underwater that all Star Children can breath in if they breath and function in if they function on electricity, so on and so forth. It causes no more difficulties than reduced visibility and greater effort to walk. It's even possible to swim underneath the island, so long as Star Children make sure to make landfall before they get too exhausted and… well… fall.


Friendnapped

The purple water has streaks of silver shot throughout it. Beware, these silver streaks neutralize powers, canon and role abilities alike, for at least an hour. A neutralized Legend won't be able to sense others in danger. A neutralized Myth won't sense danger coming. A neutralized Familiar won't be able to shapeshift to help others. That may set of a danger alarm but not any spidey-sense. These silver streaks are harbingers of spirits recently returned to Folkmore thanks to donations at the Shattered Spoon Shrine: lonely sharks.

The source of the silver streaks in the water, these silver gray sharks swim up and gently bite people. These bites make people go instantly limp but otherwise don't do any damage. They won't even break the skin. Once limp, the lonely sharks take their prey new best friends down to a cave or grotto off the underside of Never Fade. These caves are full of silver water, saturated by the magic of lonely sharks, and the entrances are covered by a thin silver barrier that prevents Star Children from leaving. That means should a Star Child track down where someone is being kept, should they enter its home, they too will be trapped there.

Being held by the lonely sharks isn't the worst experience. These spirits will try to please their new friends, giving them their favorite foods and perhaps even an item from home. This may even be a weapon or magical item. Mind, the magic of these items will be neutralized in the shark's cave. It is possible to fight a lonely shark, even to kill one, but that will only be a temporary measure. Star Children will remain trapped and have to wait for the lonely shark to revive—with even more golden cracks than before. In the end, the only way to escape are hugs, cuddles, and other measures of friendship. Once all the golden cracks have thinned and disappeared, Star Children can leave.


Spread the Love

By the time mid-March comes around, most of the lonely sharks have been fully healed and no longer kidnap Star Children. Instead they swim the None of the Above tunnels below the island's surface, where they provide guidance to Star Children who ask them how to get somewhere. If Star Children have nowhere particular in mind, the lonely sharks encourage Star Children to make their way toward the Shattered Spoon Shrine.

The lonely sharks still create silver streaks in the water that neutralize powers, but they will accompany Star Children and warn them of some of the dangers. When voices call their names, the sharks will snuggle up against Star Children to provide comfort. They're devoted to helping Star Children reach the shrine. Once there, they will encourage the Star Children to donate Lore to one of the broken spoons there, each spoon representing spirits who have left, spirits who became shells of themselves from lack of lore, or ghosts.

Star Children who donate Lore will find their companion lonely shark presenting them with an item from home. This may even be a weapon or magical item. Mind, the magic will be neutralized until the Star Child has spent at least an hour away from the silvery water lonely sharks create. Lonely sharks will happily spend as much time with Star Children as they're willing but will show the way back to the surface either via LIM (Lavender Institute of the Mind) or the None of the Above tunnels.


  • Never Fade is underwater within a cloud.
  • Silver streaks in the water neutralize powers, both canon and Role based.
  • Lonely sharks kidnap Star Children and take them to caves on the underside of Never Fade.
  • Star Children who find those caves are trapped too.
  • Escape by hugs, cuddles, and being friends.
  • By the second month, most lonely sharks are healed and found in the tunnels.
  • Lonely sharks guide Star Children to the Shattered Spoon Shrine to donate Lore to help others.
  • Either when captive or once donating Lore, lonely sharks will give Star Children an item from home.


Netfox & Chill .
Content Warnings: Forced Relocation, Potential Secret Revelation, Potential Coerced Physical Intimacy

With the wide range of Star Children from many different worlds, sharing similarities, it's no surprise when moments of deja vu happen. That sense of the familiar with the new, the sense of something that happened before without quite being able to place it… or perhaps it being impossible. Regardless, when that connective moment happens, the Star Children involved are transported to a windmill home from the Cloud Colonies. They land together on a couch before a large television with all the makings of a movie night. There could be wine and cheese. There could be soda and popcorn. There could be tea or other hot beverages. There's a cozy blanket (only one). The movie has already been selected, and it starts playing.

Headliner

The movie is roughly based off one of the Star Children's lives, specifically for the Star Child that experience deja vu and triggered this experience. Regardless of the moment of deja vu, the plot of the movie is based off of some real or potential relationship—romantic or queer platonic—in their life. That Star Child can recognize some similarities immediately. If they had any doubts, they get a text message on their relic as the movie starts:

You need to get closer with your companion(s). You can either talk about what happened (or didn't) or not talk wink wink about it with them. The choice is yours (and theirs)! Have fun!

It's possible to ignore the message, at least for a while. The longer the movie plays, the more apparent it becomes that it's based off that Star Child. The starring character's clothes will change to resemble theirs. The cadence of their voice will shift to imitate theirs. Their facial features will shift. These changes will become more and more heavy handed as the movie goes on until even the most clueless companion will have real trouble not picking up on it. It may get harder and harder to distract them from talking about it! There's no pause button, and the only way to mute the movie is to *ahem* distract themselves from it until it becomes an indistinct background murmur.


Remake

If any Star Children thought this experience might have been a Valentine's Day prank, they'll be poorly mistaken come mid-March when it continues with a twist. The movie less closely resembles any one Star Child's life (whew?)… because it blends the lives of all those present together into a new story. One character is based off each Star Child, and it fits the other Star Child into the role of someone who was or could have been emotionally and/or physically intimate with them. If they had any doubts, each Star child gets a text message on their relic as the movie starts:

You need to get closer with your companion(s). You can either talk about what happened (or didn't) or not talk wink wink about it with them. The choice is yours (and theirs)! Have fun!

Not only does each Star Child have to decide what approach they want to take, but the other Star Child may pick up on what they're putting down! One Star Child may want to talk it out, but the other one desperately doesn't. Oh noes, how shall it be resolved? Well, the longer it takes, the more clearly the film demonstrates one way they could resolve it—a fictionalized ending, happy or sad or bittersweet or anything else, between the characters as they more closely resemble those watching them on the sofa. No one's free until they have a heart to heart or a something to something else. Any physical intimacy can do.


  • Experience a moment of deja vu and get transported to a cozy living room in a Cloud Colony windmill.
  • For the first month, the 'host' Star Child gets a text letting them know to get intimate—emotionally or physically.
  • For the second month, all Star Children get that text.
  • For the first month, the movie is based on the 'host' Star Child's experiences, what did or could have happened. As the movie progresses, it becomes more and more obvious that's the case.
  • For the second month, the movie is a story blending Star Children's experiences together. That too will become more obvious over time.
  • Some form of intimacy is the only way out!

shackledwithin: (pic#16634155)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2024-03-24 08:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[He listens closely. Woke up on the beach with new power and a weapon. There are a number of reasons such a thing could happen at home.]

What can the sword do? And what are those powers? Do they feel like they have a common theme between them?
mayberaven: (pic#14674974)

[personal profile] mayberaven 2024-03-24 08:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[Normally he'd dissemble a bit here, but... Dan Heng had magic too, and with travelling the universe, he might have a new perspective on this.]

The powers are... well not countin' the combat magic, it's like... illusions and manipulations. Not entirely uncommon back home really, just usually folk get that from like... bein' a wizard, or a cleric or somethin' of the sort. As far as the sword?

He held a hand out straight ahead and in a flush of brine-smelling water, the falchion appeared in his grasp. It certainly looked like something ripped from the ocean depths, crusted with barnacles and dripping sea water as it was. And the yellow, eye-like crystal set in the hilt totally wasn't ominous at all, right?]

I mean I can summon it and dismiss it but otherwise it just gets used like a normal sword.
shackledwithin: (pic#16634158)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2024-03-24 08:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[There is a moment of stillness. He stares at the eye on the sword. Some energy spirits took on strange forms. Some of the aeons, god-like beings bestowed power on someone following their path. Other beings…]

…If it were at home I would have a number of theories. As it is, that eye…please be careful.
mayberaven: (pic#14674980)

[personal profile] mayberaven 2024-03-24 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)
What kinda theories?

[Fjord was debating what he should admit, because information about this would help him figure out just how fucked he was, how likely it was that the creepy dream-voice was at all on the level. But also, telling someone about it... not his idea of a good time!]
shackledwithin: (pic#16634158)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2024-03-25 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
[He takes a breath and says,] If this were home, this is what it could possibly be based on what you’ve said. There is a weapon and power, but you don’t know how you got it. There are a number of energy spirits and wraith like beings that could have latched into you.

Some override their host’s will. Some feed on them without their knowing. They have been known to pose as greater than they are to fool the host into greater sources to feed from.

…there are greater beings that travel space that could have latched on and feeding power through you for a purpose. The Swarm for one. But you haven’t shown the right signs.

And there are the aeon related possibilities. They are god-like beings, but embody the philosophical paths we can take. The paths that it sounds like match yours don’t fit this event. Even the worse ones.
mayberaven: (pic#14937344)

[personal profile] mayberaven 2024-03-25 06:57 am (UTC)(link)
[Fjord dismisses the falchion as Dan Heng listed potential options, brows furrowing with uncertainty because... yeah, none of those sounded great. While it wasn't physically there, he could almost swear he felt the crystal he'd apparently pushed into his chest while under the influence of something else. He assumed it was the creature feeding him orders in his dreams, but it was so wildly outside his field of expertise that he couldn't say for certain.]

...What kind of signs would you need to look out for?
shackledwithin: (pic#16475946)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2024-03-25 03:18 pm (UTC)(link)
For the swarm, they implant their host with the seed to grow more of the swarm. They don’t know it. There are always more of the swarm around them if that’s the case.

You can feel it like an unseen wind. Usually space is distorted where they go. The largest members of the swarm can be as big as planets. They are known for their ability to rapidly propagate and feed. There are numerous effects the host can undergo but mostly they never know. Until it’s too late.

[In short, it doesn’t fit.]

The closest match is the Heliobus. The associations with water throws it off. Heliobus are shapeless, but their pure energy bodies appear to others as floating flames. They take their time to ‘tame the psyche’ of their host. The victim of their feeding will uncontrollably perform the actions that stimulate the emotions that the Heliobus wishes to consume.

Depending on the strength of the Heliobus as well as the host, this back and forth battle of wills could take a while. The Heliobus’s tricks can start off with hallucinations. They exploit the inner desires and vulnerabilities of their host to induce these hallucinations and provoke emotions. It gets worse and worse as the mind of their victim becomes entirely consumed with what the Heliobus wants.

This is a process that ends in self combustion of the drained host. I do not know how much of this matches your experience, if any at all. I only can tell you what worries me about your situation.
mayberaven: (pic#14674972)

[personal profile] mayberaven 2024-03-25 10:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeesh. Glad that one doesn't seem to match up.

[The other though... the water does throw things off, as well as the shapeless idea but enough parallels there that Fjord isn't exactly thrilled.]

Hallucinations. Could they be disguised as dreams? I mean, like you said, this doesn't sound like it's that Heliobus thing, but I'm not too keen on the similarities.
shackledwithin: (pic#16634150)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2024-03-31 02:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[He considers it. Then slowly he nods,] It is possible. I don’t have the records here so I can’t confirm that.

But dreams are a medium in which many things can be done or shown. One resort planet has crafted an entire city with a great dreamscape. In short, be cautious.
mayberaven: (pic#14937330)

[personal profile] mayberaven 2024-04-04 07:22 am (UTC)(link)
[From the face Fjord makes, it's clear he's not thrilled at the idea. But there's not much to be done at the moment about it, is there?]

Don't gotta tell me twice. If... you think of anything though, let me know, yeah? Different worlds means different sources probably, but on the off chance...

[For all they knew their worlds might be connected somehow. The odds were against it, but better to hope for the best and plan for the worst.]
shackledwithin: (pic#16634480)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2024-04-05 04:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[He nods. The door on the far side of the couch swings open. Dan Heng stands up. The tv has gone dark.] I will tell you if I think of anything.

Likewise if you wish to visit or think of anything contact me. Or drop by Gram. My home is the one with a sign ‘astral archive.’
mayberaven: (pic#14937327)

[personal profile] mayberaven 2024-04-09 06:49 am (UTC)(link)
[Fjord can't help but feel relieved when the door opens and the tv flicks off. Dan Heng seems decent enough, and their talk had definitely given him a lot to chew on, but he, just like his companion, wasn't too thrilled about this weird trial so he was more than glad that they seemed to have satisfied the somewhat esoteric requirements.

He stood along with Dan Heng, nodding in response with a light 'after you' gesture.]


Yeah? I'll keep that in mind. When I decide where to set up shop I'll drop you a line.
shackledwithin: (pic#16634156)

[personal profile] shackledwithin 2024-04-11 05:03 pm (UTC)(link)
See you then. [He turns and walks out. Outside of the room is Leshy. He nods to himself and shifts on his feet. And off he walks, heading home. But they will meet again, he likes what he’s seen of Fjord. And he wants to help if he can.]